Editing Worker bee (section)

== Worker activities in the hive ==

=== Honey production ===
Worker bees collect nectar from flowers using their tubular mouth parts, and store it in their honey stomach. Enzymes proceed to break down the nectar into simple sugars. Back at the hive, the nectar is distributed to other worker bees who either distribute it to young bees or store it in honeycomb cells. Then, [[honey]] is produced by being further dehydrated via fanning then sealed with a wax cap, which prevents absorption of moisture from the air.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Bees Make Honey: Producing honey is a strenuous team effort for bees – CALS News |url=https://news.cals.wisc.edu/2012/06/04/how-bees-make-honey-producing-honey-is-a-strenuous-team-effort-for-bees/#:~:text=Once%20placed%20into%20the%20honeycomb,turning%20the%20nectar%20into%20honey.&text=Finally,%20worker%20bees%20seal%20the,as%20the%20bees'%20food%20supply. |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=news.cals.wisc.edu}}</ref>

=== Drone feeding ===
Drones do not feed themselves when they are young; they are fed by workers and then when the [[Drone (bee)|drone bees]] get older they feed themselves from the honey supply.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Free |first=J. B. |date=1957-01-01 |title=The food of adult drone honeybees (Apis mellifera) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950560157800380 |journal=The British Journal of Animal Behaviour |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=7–11 |doi=10.1016/S0950-5601(57)80038-0 |issn=0950-5601|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Honeycomb building ===
Worker bees have eight pairs of wax glands under their abdomen from which they can create honeycomb. By chewing the wax, she mixes in her saliva, which adjusts the malleability of the wax and enables her to create each individual honeycomb cell. This process is repeated thousands of times to create comb in the hive, which will be used for honey production and brood space.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Secrets of Honeycomb - PerfectBee |url=https://www.perfectbee.com/learn-about-bees/the-science-of-bees/the-secrets-of-honeycomb |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=www.perfectbee.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Pollen packing ===
Pollen brought into the hive for feeding the brood is also stored. It must be packed firmly into comb cells and mixed with a small amount of honey so that it will not spoil. Unlike honey, which does not support bacterial life, stored pollen will become [[Rancidification|rancid]] without proper care. It has to be kept in honey cells.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Role of the Worker Bee - PerfectBee |url=https://www.perfectbee.com/beekeeping-articles/the-role-of-the-worker-bee |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=www.perfectbee.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Propolizing ===
The walls of the hive are covered with a thin coating of [[propolis]], a resinous substance obtained from plants. When workers add enzymes to the propolis, the combination has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Propolis is placed at the entrance of hives to aid in ventilation.

Some bees add excess mud to the mixture, making it geopropolis, such as in the bee ''[[Melipona scutellaris]].''<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Chemical Changes Associated with the Invasion of a Melipona scutellaris Colony by Melipona rufiventris Workers|last = Adriana|first = Pianaro|date = 2007|journal = Journal of Chemical Ecology|volume = 33|issue = 5|pages = 971–984|doi = 10.1007/s10886-007-9274-5 |pmid = 17404819| bibcode=2007JCEco..33..971P |s2cid = 32195400}}</ref> Geopropolis displays antimicrobial and antiproliferative activity and has been proven to be a source of antibiofilm agents. It also presents selectivity against human cancer cell lines at low concentrations compared to normal cells.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of stingless bee Melipona scutellaris geopropolis|url= |journal = BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine|date = 2013-01-28|issn = 1472-6882|pmc = 3568042|pmid = 23356696|pages = 23|volume = 13|issue = 1|doi = 10.1186/1472-6882-13-23|first1 = Marcos Guilherme da|last1 = Cunha|first2 = Marcelo|last2 = Franchin|first3 = LíviaCâmaradeCarvalho|last3 = Galvão|first4 = AnaLúciaTascaGóis de|last4 = Ruiz|first5 = João Ernesto de|last5 = Carvalho|first6 = Masarahu|last6 = Ikegaki|first7 = Severino Matias de|last7 = Alencar|first8 = Hyun|last8 = Koo|first9 = Pedro Luiz|last9 = Rosalen|doi-access= free}}</ref>

=== Mortuary bees ===
Dead bees and failed larvae must be removed from the hive to prevent disease and allow cells to be reused. They will be carried some distance from the hive by mortuary bees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Worker Bees - An Overview |url=https://www.agrowtronics.com/worker-bees-an-overview/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=AGrowTronics - IIoT For Growing |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Fanning bees ===
Worker bees fan the hive, cooling it with evaporated water. They direct airflow into the hive or out of the hive depending on need.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alvéole |date=2021-09-09 |title=Roles of a worker bee |url=https://www.alveole.buzz/roles-of-the-worker-honey-bee/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=Alvéole |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Water carriers ===
When the hive is in danger of overheating, these bees will obtain water, usually from within a short distance from the hive and bring it back to spread on the backs of fanning bees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Role of the Worker Bee - PerfectBee |url=https://www.perfectbee.com/beekeeping-articles/the-role-of-the-worker-bee |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=www.perfectbee.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Guard bees ===
Guard bees will stand at the front of the hive entrance, defending it from any invaders such as [[wasp]]s. The number of guards varies from season to season and from species to species. Entrance size and daily traffic also play an integral role in the number of guard bees present.
Guard bees of the species ''[[Tetragonisca angustula]]''  and ''[[Schwarziana quadripunctata]]'' are examples of eusocial bees that have been observed hovering at their nest entrances, providing more protection against intruders.<ref name=Segers>{{cite journal|last1=Segers|first1=Francisca|title=Soldier production in a stingless bee depends on rearing location and nurse behavior|journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology|date=17 January 2015|volume=69|issue=4|pages=613–623|doi=10.1007/s00265-015-1872-6|s2cid=18594915}}</ref><ref name=couvillon07>{{cite journal|last1=Couvillon|first1=M.J.|last2=Wenseleers|first2=T.|last3=Imperatriz-Fonseca|first3=L.|last4=Nogueira-Neto|first4=P.|last5=Ratnieks|first5=F.L.W. |year=2007|title=Comparative Study in Stingless Bees (Meliponini) Demonstrates that Nest Entrance Size Predicts Traffic and Defensivity |journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=194–201 |doi=10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01457.x |pmid=18021200|doi-access=free|url=https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/157544/1/couvillon_etal_jeb_2008_stingless%20bee%20nest%20entrances.pdf}}</ref>